Vals and sals reminisce on past 13 years
Published 10:50 pm Friday, May 22, 2020
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All but two of county
and city schools held their
graduation ceremonies
Thursday and the other
two on Friday.
Andalusia High School
held its commencement
ceremony yesterday in
a new fashion thanks to
COVID-19.
AHS salutat01ian Hannah
Sellers opened the
ceremony speaking about
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her class’ changes all campus, and we thought
throughout their time in we were pretty special.
Andalusia. Construction started on the
“Our journey began stadium and audit01ium
walking the yellow, blue not long into our second
and green halls, of Anda- sophomore semester. Boy’s
lusia Elementa1y School,” basketball went all the
Sellers said. “Then, we way to the Final Four in
continued on and were the Birmingham and baseball
last sixth grade class to won a state championship.
attend Andalusia Middle Junior year was all about
School. Midway through construction.”
our seventh grade year, Sellers said her and her
we moved to a brand new class had high hopes going
school on the high school into their senior year.
VERSE OF THE DAY:
God made him who had n o sin to be sin
for us, so that in him we might become
the righteousness of God.
-2 Corinthians 5:21
“We got to rnake use
of our completed stateof-
the-art audit01imn
with assemblies and pep
rallies,” Sellers said. “We
sta1ted the second semester
of this year with excitement
and anticipation of all
the ‘senior moments,’ we
were about to share. Spring
break and senior tr·ip plans
were being made only to
be abmptly canceled beacsue
of a global pandemic.
We thought we were
just getting an extended
spring break, but instead,
the doors to this great
school were locked for the
remainder of the school
year. Little did we know
our last day walking the
halls would be our last day.
We had no sports and had
to adapt to online classes
and ‘social distancing’
and ‘quarantine, became
common terms. As we step
out into the world, change
is inevitable, and we will
continue to persevere just
as Our Dear Mother taught
us to do.”
As AHS valedictorian
Sydney Faircloth was writing
her speech, she said it
was unclear to whom she
would be presenting it to.
“Would I be videoed,
talking only to a camera
lense?” Faircloth said. “Or
would I get to stand in
front of my classmates and
their families and present
to them? We are finally
at the conclusion of our
journey together, and it is
a bittersweet moment. I
do not want to part ways
with all of you, but I am so
excited to see where each
of you goes in the future.”
Faircloth said her class
has been sheltered by
togetherness for the past 12
years.
“I believe the situation
we find ourselves in was to
prepare us in a very unique
way for our upcoming
separation,” Faircloth said.
“No other class has had to
deal with the challenges
that have been thrown our
way. During this time,
we have had to learn how
to do things on our own.
Once we leave the shelter
of Andalusia High School
and our homes, we are
truly on our own. I do not
want any of you to fear
this. I challenge you all to
take advantage of every
chance you are given and
to be unique, just like the
Class of 2020.”
Despite some uncertainty
due to COVID-19, the
OHS graduating class was
able to attend an in-person
graduation ceremony to
receive their diplomas.
“Our senior year didn’t
quite shape up as we
expected it to,” said Emma
Younce, salutatorian of
OHS class of 2020, in her
speech. “But then again,
that’s what life is.”
“It is important to understand
the need to persevere,’’
said Ariyid Hightower,
valedictorian of
OHS class of 2020, in his
speech. “I want to thank
everyone for being here.
We would not be here if
it wasn’t for the sacrifices
that all of you have made
to help us get to this day.”
Hightower and Younce
spoke to their fellow
graduates as they—and
the crowd—were spaced
six feet apart to follow
guidelines set by the state
and the school.
“As we know in today’s
times more than any else,
life has a way of implementing
various roadblocks,”
said Hightower.
“There is no shame in
reaching out for help when
you are in need.”
“Your academics, occupations,
and passions are
incredibly important and
should be
valued, but above all
else – love people,” said
Younce.
“Nothing will compare
to the importance of the
relationships you [2020
graduates] make these next
few years,” said Younce.
“Looking back, I know
now it was never the destination
itself that brought
me joy,” said Younce. “Cliché
as it may sound, it was
the people. It was always
the people. And it always
will be the people.”
The ceremony concluded
with the 90 graduates
moving their tassels to the
left side of their graduation
caps.
“Life is overcoming
challenges – like how
we’ve done these past few
months,” said Younce.
“Like how we’ve always
done. Like how we will for
the rest of our lives. It’s
now ours for the making,
guys.”
“As we go in the different
directions that life
and our choices will take
us, please do not forget to
care for yourself and love
yourself,” said Hightower.
“And thank you so much
for the opportunity to be
valedictorian and give a
speech to my peers one last
time. I wish us all success
and rightful happiness.”
Pleasant Home School
held its graduation Thursday
night, as well, with
only a few changes.
PHS salutatorian Brady
Sowards said he has
always felt like a part of
him belonged at Pleasant
Home.
“Unfortunately I didn’t
get to experience it until
I was in eighth grade,”
Sowards said. “It was a
very different atmosphere
than what I was used to,
because I went from having
a class of 150 to 40.
I will always remember
how accepting my new
classmates were when I got
here. I have made instant
friendships that have lasted
and grown throughout the
last five years.”
PHS valedictorian Kassidy
Gunter said throughout
the nightmares of the
pandemic, the class still
made it to graduation,
regardless.
“There is no doubt that
we have been supported
and taught well here at
Pleasant Home,” Gunter
said. “Whether you have
been with us since Mrs.
Teel or Mrs. Davis’ class
in Kindergarten, or you
joined us along the way,
the bonds and friendships
made over the past 13
years will never be forgotten.
Yes, we learned many
things in the classrooms
here at school, but it is not
the work that will be most
memorable.”
Red Level High School
salutatorian Ivy Griggs
reminisced on her time
in the halls of Red Level
High School.
“I tried to define exactly
what my classmates, and
this school, mean to me,”
Griggs said. “I thought
about the trips we took,
the projects we turned in,
the times we convinced
our teachers to let us bring
food for random holidays,
Sydny’s superb strawberry
lasagna, Kade’s addiction
to Uno, and all of the good
and bad times in between.
As I walked through each
of these memories, I realized
that we are so much
more than just people who
went to school together;
we’re a family.”
RLHS valedictorian
Sydny Morrow advised her
classmates to keep their
humor.
“Mark Twain once said,
‘Humor is mankind’s
greatest blessing,’” Morrow
said. “The ability to
make light of a situation
is a gift. Take everything
in strides. It is not always
going to be amazing.
Growing up is hard and
confusing. We are going to
make mistakes; however,
I advise you to find the
positives. Adults always
tell us, ‘you’ll laugh about
it one day,’ and our years
together have shown us
that cannot be more true.”
Looking back, FHS
salutatorian Lily McDaniel
said she could think of so
many small things that
might not mean much to an
outsider.
“To us, they are so
unforgettable and precious,”
McDaniel said. “I
remember being absolutely
covered in neon orange
paint during Homecoming,
and the pure joy in
knowing we’d be the first
team to make it to football
playoffs in a decade. They
say hindsight is 20/20, but
I didn’t know that covering
the entire school in
toilet paper my senior year
would be foreshadowing.
We have reached a
turning point in our lives,
marked by dedication,
commitment, and pride.
We worked hard to get
where we are today, and
while the road seemed
very uncertain at times, we
made it.”
FHS valedictorian
Makayla Parker advised
her classmates not to give
up.
“We will get through
this like we always do,”
Parker said. “COVID-19
will not stand in the way
of our hopes and dreams.
Let us focus on all the
great memories that we
have made. One of the best
things about a small town
is the connection you have
with each other.
Christopher Smith, Ora
Nelson and Donnamy
Steele all contributed to
this article.